Leslie's Journal
by Disney Ink
Summary: When Belle Rider and her family move to Lark Creek, she and her older brother, Flynn, meet Jess Aarons and learn all about Leslie Burke and Terabithia. ::A Disney/ Bridge to Terabithia crossover::
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is a Disney/ Bridge to Terabithia crossover; however you don't have to be familiar with Bridge to Terabithia to understand this story. I will explain everything you need to know as the story goes on. For those who do know the Bridge to Terabithia story, this is somewhat of a sequel to it…**

Belle was jolted awake when her mother drove over a bump in the road. Still groggy from sleep, Belle was a little confused as to where she was. But, when she saw the U-Haul truck in front of them, she remembered. She and her family were moving from Chicago, Illinois to a small town called Lark Creek in Virginia. Belle stirred stiffly and realized she had fallen asleep on her older brother, Flynn. He was leaning against the window, with his legs stretched diagonally across the floor of the backseat, while Belle had been curled up on the seat with her head resting on his stomach. Flynn shifted and his arm fell heavily over her shoulder. Flynn started quietly snoring and Belle snuggled up closer to him. It was a ten hour drive from Chicago to Lark Creek and Belle was pretty sure she had fallen asleep shortly after they left their old house. But, she wasn't sure how long ago that was.

Belle's mother glanced up at the rear view mirror and caught Belle's eyes. "Hi there, sleepy head," she said.

Belle smiled at her mother. "Hi. How long 'till we get there?"

"We're already in Lark Creek," her mother told her. "In fact we're just about to pass your new school."

Belle lifted her head in time to see Lark Creek High School before it disappeared behind them. Belle was sixteen-years-old and would be starting her sophomore year next week. Flynn was seventeen and would be a junior. Part of Belle was excited to start a new school, but another part of her was nervous. The friends she had back in Chicago had been her friends since she was little and she didn't know how easy it would be for her to make new friends.

Belle sat up as her mother pulled into the driveway of their new home. It was an old country house that could really only be described as ratty; the grayish-white paint on the outside was chipping off in huge chunks, the wooden front steps looked like they were molded, the railing was broken and the yard obviously hadn't been taken care of in a long time. Belle looked sympathetically down at her sleeping brother, knowing their father would make him mow the lawn. She reached over and gently shook Flynn. He opened his eyes and let out a loud yawn.

"We're here," Belle said, getting out of the car.

Their father jumped down from the cab of the U-Haul truck and walked over to them. Flynn slammed his door shut as he looked up at the house.

"This place sucks," Flynn muttered.

"Flynn Eugene Rider..." our mother muttered.

Flynn just rolled eyes. Belle could tell he was still a little sleepy, otherwise he would have protested more. Their father fished the keys out of his pocket and the four of them headed towards the house. They carefully walked up the front steps, surprised that they were actually pretty sturdy. Their dad opened the door and they all made their way inside. The interior of the house looked much better than the outside. It was completely empty, but the walls had been recently painted and the floors were clean. Belle walked down the hallway, but stopped as she passed a room. She paused in the doorway, then slowly walked into the room. The walls were gold with a beautiful wood floor. The sunlight shone in through the window and the walls were lit up almost like they were glowing. Belle's breath caught in her throat at the beauty. There was an enchantment about the room and Belle instantly fell in love with it. She could tell there was something special about this room, though she didn't know quite what it was. Belle walked out of the room and she and Flynn went upstairs to claim their bedrooms.

Belle's room had pale blue walls and white carpeting. There was a window on the far wall with a window seat. She smiled thinking it would be perfect for reading. Belle loved to read, especially storybooks. She was the happiest when she was lost in a good story. She walked over to the closet and opened it. It wasn't very big, but it was a good size for her. She closed the door and headed downstairs to unload her stuff from the truck. Her father had already pulled some boxes out of the truck and had them stacked in the driveway. He had them separated by what room they belonged in and Belle went over to the boxes with her name on them.

Once all of her boxes were in her room, Belle sat down on the floor and started unpacking them. There were a couple shelves hanging from the wall and Belle put some of her books on them. The rest of them would go on her bookcase, once her dad brought it up to her room. She unpacked her clothes and tossed them into her laundry basket.

There was a light knock on her door and Belle looked up to see Flynn standing in the doorway. He looked at the boxes scattered around her floor and frowned.

"Dad and I are going to bring up your bed and set it up," Flynn said. "Can you make some room?"

Belle nodded. "Of course."

Belle moved all her boxes to the corner, then left her room so she wouldn't be in their way. She went downstairs and found her mom unpacking in the kitchen. Belle opened a box of dishes and started pulling them out.

"I know this isn't the most ideal place to live," her mother said. "But, I think it'll grow on you."

Belle gave her mom a smile. "It's nice here."

Her mother smiled back at her. "Yeah, it is."

"I'm kind of excited about the new start," Belle said, unwrapping a plate.

"I'm glad." Mrs. Rider broke down a box and tossed it on the floor. "Although, Flynn doesn't seem to be too happy about the move."

"He's not," Belle said. "But, he'll get over it once school starts and he makes new friends."

Her mother nodded, but didn't say anything. Belle and Flynn have always had a close relationship, but once he started high school he kind of cut himself off from their parents. Belle could tell their mother missed him and it made her sad that she didn't know her son as well as she used to. Belle wished she could tell her mom the things Flynn shared with her about his life, but she could never break Flynn's trust like that. Her older was her best friend.

"Your bed is all set up," Flynn announced, walking into the kitchen.

"If you two want to get all of your laundry together, I'll wash it for you," their mother said.

"Whatever," Flynn muttered as he turned to leave the kitchen.

Mrs. Rider sighed and Belle gave her a reassuring smile. "Teenagers," Belle said mockingly.

Mrs. Rider let out a small laugh and Belle went up to her room to get her laundry basket. As she stepped back out into the hall she caught a glimpse of Flynn in his room across the hall. He was sitting on the floor with his arms resting on his knees and his head down. Belle couldn't help feeling bad for him. He had good life back in Chicago; he had a lot of friends and was the star of the basketball team. Now he had to start all over again with only two years left of school. Belle had a small group of friends and wasn't too involved in any extra-curricular activities, so she didn't feel like she was leaving much behind. Belle set her laundry basket down and walked over to Flynn's room. She gently knocked on the door frame and he looked up at her.

"You want some company?" Belle asked.

"Sure."

Belle walked over to her brother and knelt down in front of him. "This is our home now," she said. "You should try to make the best of it."

"Belle, we moved to the middle of nowhere," Flynn said.

"I know it's gonna be different than living in the city, but that doesn't mean it's a _bad_ change," Belle said. "It's just a new chapter in your life."

Flynn rolled his eyes. "This is real life, Belle. It's not some story in a book."


	2. Chapter 2

Flynn's arms were starting to get sore from pushing the lawn mower. They had a big yard, but only had a push mower. Flynn had been out there for several hours now and was about ready to collapse from the heat. He couldn't believe it was only ten o'clock in the morning. He concentrated on the music blasting through his headphones as he finished the backyard. When he was done, he put the lawn mower back in the shed and walked around to the front of the house. He picked up his shirt off the railing and used it to wipe the sweat off his face and neck. He then flung the shirt over his shoulder and went inside. He exhaled in relief as the air conditioning hit him. 

"Oh, Lord, Flynn!" Mrs. Rider said as she stepped out of the kitchen. "Please go take a shower. We're gonna over and meet our neighbor."

Flynn groaned. "I don't want to go."

"Don't be rude, Flynn," his mother said.

"Be rude about what?" Belle asked, coming downstairs. She made a face as she stood next to Flynn.

"I know, I know. Shower," Flynn grumbled. He made his way upstairs and into the bathroom.

He stepped into the shower and tilted his head back, letting the cold water cool him off. He took his time getting ready, knowing it would annoy his mom. He was mad at his parents for pulling him out of his old life and making him move. He turned off the shower and got out. He quickly dried himself off, then wrapped the towel around his waist. As he was about to open the bathroom door, he caught his reflection. Flynn had a perfectly toned body, thick dark hair, a handsome face and killer smile. On the outside, Flynn appeared perfect. That couldn't be further from the truth. Though he had a lot of friends and was popular at his old school, he was often lonely. Belle was the only real friend he had; the only person he could actually talk to. Only Belle knew that the real reason Flynn was upset about moving was because he was scared. He didn't take to change very well. But, of course, he didn't want anyone else to know that so he used anger to mask his fear.

"Flynn! Come on!" Mr. Rider called upstairs.

Flynn quickly pulled on some clothes and went downstairs. The Riders walked up the hill to the farm next door. Mr. Rider knocked on the door. It didn't take long for someone to answer. A man flung open the screen door and leaned against the door frame. He couldn't have been more than forty-five years old, but his eyes looked tired and old. He had straw-colored hair that hung over his face. He was wearing faded, torn jeans and a flannel shirt. He had the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and his shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his fit torso. Flynn thought he looked more like an actor portraying a farmer than an actual farmer.

"Hi," Mr. Rider greeted him. "We just moved in down the hill there."

The man glanced down at their house and then back at them. "You moved into the old Bur-" he cleared his throat. "The Perkins Place."

"Oh. I didn't know our house had a name," Mrs. Rider said. "Anyway, we're the Riders. This is our son, Flynn, and our daughter, Belle."

"Yes," Mr. Rider said. "If you ever need any help around your yard or anything, Flynn would be more than willing to help you."

Flynn resisted the urge to give his dad a dirty look, knowing he would have no problem smacking his son in the back of the head in front of their neighbor. The man looked at the four of them with a blank expression. Flynn wondered why they were still standing there when it was pretty obvious the man didn't want company.

Realizing they weren't leaving, the man straightened up. "My name is Jess Aarons."

Mrs. Rider smiled warmly at Jess. "It's nice to meet you."

Jess eyed Flynn. "I could actually use some help rebuilding my fence."

"Yes, sir," Flynn muttered.

"Can you start working on it today?" Jess asked. "It may take you a couple weeks, but I'll pay you $200 to rebuild it."

Flynn agreed, knowing that price was more than fair since Flynn didn't know the first thing about building fences. While Flynn stayed behind at Jess' house, Belle and their parents walked back down to their house. Belle glanced back at Jess. She didn't know why, but she found herself attracted to Jess. But, not in the way where she had a crush on him (even though she did have to admit that he was handsome). There was something about Jess that Belle found herself drawn to, however she didn't know what it was.

"What do you think, Belle?" Her father's voice cut through her thoughts of Jess.

Belle turned to face him. "Think about what?"

"While your mother is decorating the interior of the house, you want to help me paint the outside?" Mr. Rider asked.

Belle nodded. _Paint. _The strange feeling she was having towards Jess was similar to the one she had when she was in the gold-painted room. _I wonder what it means, _she thought. Belle then laughed at herself. _It doesn't mean anything. You're just so desperate for an adventure that you're trying to invent one in your head._

_X~~~X~~~X_

That night, Flynn lied in his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't help thinking about Jess Aarons. The man was only forty-five and he was alone. Flynn wondered if that was what his future was going to be like. His biggest fear was to end up alone. Thinking about his future suddenly made Flynn depressed. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his phone. He sent Belle a text telling her to come to her doorway. He then got up and walked over to his own door way. He was just sitting down, when Belle appeared in hers. She sat down and gave him a tired smile.

Flynn and Belle's rooms have always been across the hall from each other, even in their old house. Whenever they couldn't sleep, they'd sit in the hallway and talk. Their parents would get mad at them and yell at them from the bottom of the stairs to be quiet and go to bed. When Belle was younger she had read a book about Helen Keller and came up with the idea of her and Flynn learning sign language so they could still talk at night without waking up their parents. To this day their parents don't even know that Belle and Flynn know sign language and every once in a while Flynn would sign something behind their backs, making Belle laugh.

_'What's wrong?' _Belle signed.

_'Just over thinking,' _Flynn replied.

_'You do that a lot,' _Belle signed.

_'I know. I was just thinking that I don't want to end up alone,' _Flynn signed back.

Belle smiled at her brother. _'You'll always have me. I'm not going anywhere.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**I want to send a super special thank you to supersmashkingdomhearts1999 for being the first reviewer for this story! 3**

Flynn found rebuilding a fence was surprisingly easier than he thought. The fence Jess had him working on stretched along the perimeter of his front yard and had a broken gate as its only entrance. Jess didn't have a lot of money and got the wood wherever he could, so most of the wood didn't match. Flynn thought this made the fence look tacky and he decided he would paint it when he was done.

Flynn was bent over his work table in the middle of the yard, cutting some wood, when a car pulled up in front of the house. Flynn looked up. It was a pink hard-top Corvette that looked like Belle's old toy for her Barbie dolls. Jess was in town running errands and Flynn wasn't sure what to do about his visitors. A girl about Belle's age climbed out of the passenger seat. She had long blonde hair that was tied back in a braid and big green eyes. She was wearing a long purple skirt and a purple button-up t-shirt. She leaned back into the car, pulled out a duffel bag and waved to whoever was in the driver seat.

"Thanks for the ride, Charlotte!" the girl said, closing the door.

The pink car sped off down the road and the girl skipped towards the gate. It wasn't until she was in the yard that she noticed Flynn. She stopped short and her eyes grew wide. Flynn was suddenly very aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Oh. Hello," the girl said.

"Hey," Flynn muttered, wondering where he had set his shirt.

The girl stared at him like she was waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I just moved in next door," Flynn replied. "Jess hired me to fix the fence."

She smiled. "It's about time. That fence has been needing fixin' for a while." She walked over to Flynn and set her duffel bag on the ground next to the table. "What's your name?"

"Flynn Rider."

"I'm Rapunzel," she said. "Rapunzel Leslie Aarons." She stuck out her hand and Flynn wiped his hands on his jeans before shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Flynn Rider."

It was then that Jess' pick-up pulled up to the house. Rapunzel's eyes lit up and she ran towards it. Jess got out of the truck and smiled at her.

"Daddy!" Rapunzel cried as she hugged Jess. "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, princess," Jess said.

Jess kept his arm around Rapunzel as they walked back into the yard. Flynn was slightly surprised that Rapunzel was Jess' daughter. He thought Jess lived here alone.

"Did you have fun at art camp?" Jess asked Rapunzel.

"Yes!" Rapunzel exclaimed, excitedly. "I can't wait to show you my paintings!"

"And I can't wait to see them," Jess said. "But, unfortunately, I have to go back into town for a little bit, so it's gonna have to wait 'till I get back."

"Okay, Daddy."

Flynn and Rapunzel watched as Jess got back into his truck and drove away. Rapunzel picked up her duffel bag and slipped the strap over her shoulder. She smiled at Flynn, then went inside. Flynn picked up the wood he had been cutting and brought it over to the post. He was hammering a nail into one of the wood planks when he heard the screen door slam shut. He turned around to see Rapunzel standing on the porch. She was now wearing cut-off shorts and a green tank top. She was holding a sketchpad and a black and white border collie puppy was standing next to her.

"Do you mind if we sit out here with you?" Rapunzel asked.

Flynn shook his head. "Of course not. It's your house."

Rapunzel sat down on the porch steps and started drawing, while her puppy found a shady spot on the porch and lied down.

"Hey, Flynn!" Belle called out as she approached the gate. She missed hanging out with Flynn and decided to bring him over some lunch as an excuse to spend time with him.

Rapunzel's puppy jumped off the porch and ran towards Belle. Belle held the plate above her head so the dog couldn't get the sandwich. Rapunzel whistled and the dog immediately turned and ran back towards her.

"That's my good girl!" Rapunzel said in a small voice as she scratched the dog behind its ears. She then looked up at Belle. "Sorry about that."

Belle smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. Flynn, I brought you some lunch."

Flynn walked over to Belle and took the sandwich and bottle of water from her. He then bent over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks. You wanna stick around for a bit?"

Belle nodded and walked into the yard. The puppy ran back over to her, but this time Belle knelt down to pet her.

"Her name is Princess Tera," Rapunzel said. "We usually just call her Tera. Sometimes my dad calls her P.T., but for some reason he gets upset if anyone else calls her that."

"I'm Belle," she said. "Flynn's sister."

"I'm Rapunzel, Jess' daughter."

"Oh. I didn't know Jess had a daughter," Belle said.

"I've been at art camp all summer," Rapunzel said, moving over so Belle could sit down next to her. "So, where did you guys move from?"

"Chicago."

"Lark Creek ain't nothin' like the city," Rapunzel said. "At least, that's what I've been told. I've never actually been to a city."

"Chicago is beautiful," Belle told her.

"Lark Creek is a dump," Flynn muttered, as he went back to working on the fence.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him. He's my Grumpy Bear. He's grumpy all the time, but-"

"But, still cute," Rapunzel added, staring at Flynn.

Belle raised an eyebrow. "I was going to say he's grumpy all the time, but still kind-hearted. But, your answer works, too."

Rapunzel blushed and looked down. "Oh. Right. Please don't tell him I said that."

Belle giggled. "I won't."

"I'm out of wood," Flynn said as he walked up to the girls. "I'm gonna call it a day. Let your dad know that I'll be back tomorrow morning."

Rapunzel nodded. "See ya then."

Belle stood up and said good bye to Rapunzel as she and Flynn started walking back to their house.

"She seems sweet," Belle said to Flynn.

Flynn shrugged. "I guess."

_He thought later how peculiar it was that here was probably the biggest thing in his life and he had just shrugged it off as nothing. _

***Note: That last line is a line taken from the Bridge to Terabithia book***


	4. Chapter 4

"I can't believe we have to take the bus," Flynn grumbled.

Belle was mentally running through her first-day-of-school checklist and almost didn't hear what Flynn said. She looked over at him. He was wearing his usual- jeans and a t-shirt- and had his backpack on the ground next to his feet.

"It's not that bad," Belle finally said. "I'm sure you'll become friends with someone who has a car and you can get rides from them."

Flynn shrugged, but didn't say anything.

"Good morning, guys!" Rapunzel greeted, walking up to the bust stop.

Belle smiled at her. "Good morning."

"Hey," Flynn muttered.

The bus pulled up then. Flynn grabbed his backpack and immediately got on. He picked an empty seat in the middle section and Belle sat down next to him. Rapunzel plopped down on the seat across from them.

"Are you excited about your first day of school?" Rapunzel asked.

Flynn was staring out the window and ignored the question.

"I'm excited," Belle replied. "But, I'm also a little nervous."

Rapunzel waved her hand dismissively. "Don't be. Lark Creek High School is just like every other high school. You've got your jocks: Hercules Fulcher and Gaston Hoager. The school bitch: Vanessa Avery. And, of course, the coolest kids at school: me, Charlotte La Bouff, and my cousins Naveen and Jasmine Aarons."

Belle nodded as she made mental note of their names. "Got it."

When the bus finally pulled into the parking lot of the school, Belle felt her stomach fill with butterflies. Rapunzel quickly stood up and bounded out of the bus.

"Well," Flynn muttered, picking up his backpack off the floor, "let's get this over with."

_X~~~X~~~X_

Belle managed to survive her morning classes, but was dreading lunch. She still hadn't made any new friends and Flynn didn't have the same lunch period, so she didn't know who she was going to sit with. When she got to the cafeteria, it was already crowded. The lunch line was impossibly long and there wasn't an empty table anywhere. Belle made her way through the students and got in line. She awkwardly ran her hand through her hair and wished she had brought a book to read.

"Damn it! I told you we had to get here earlier," a boy said as he and a girl got in line behind Belle.

"It's not my fault; I couldn't find my lunch money," the girl said.

"That's what you get for just haphazardly throwing it into your locker. It's a wonder you find _anything _in there, let alone a couple crumpled up dollar bills."

"Ugh! Get over it."

All of a sudden, Belle was run into from behind and she turned around. The girl was taller than Belle, really skinny and had long brown hair pulled up in a ponytail and purple eyes. The boy was taller than both Belle and the girl, with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Belle couldn't help noticing how fit his body seemed in his t-shirt.

"Sorry about that," the girl said. "I didn't mean to push him that hard. I was just messing around."

"It's all right," Belle replied, turning back around.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

Belle looked back at him. "Belle Rider."

"I'm Adam," he said. "This is my best friend, Meg."

"It's nice to meet you," Belle told them.

"Are you new here?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, today's my first day."

"Do you want to sit with us?" Adam asked.

Meg shot Adam a look, but he ignored it. Even though Belle could tell Meg wasn't happy about her sitting with them, she wasn't really in a position to pass up a lunch invitation, so she accepted it.

_X~~~X~~~X_

Flynn cursed under his breath as he ran to catch the bus after school. His locker had jammed after his last class, causing him to almost miss the bus. He quickly jumped in the bus and the diver closed the doors behind him. The bus jerked forward and Flynn gripped the top of the seats for balance as he walked down the aisle. Belle was in a seat towards the front with Rapunzel and she gave him a relieved smile as he walked passed. The only available seat was in the back next to another boy. Flynn plopped down next to him, wondering why so many high school students rode the bus.

"Hey," the boy greeted.

Flynn slouched down and propped his knees up on the seat in front of him. "Hey."

"You must be new; I haven't seen you before," the boy said. "I'm Aladdin."

"Flynn."

"You're not happy about moving here, are you?" Aladdin guessed.

"Not really."

Aladdin nodded. "I get it. I moved here part way through freshman year. Thankfully I made the basketball team otherwise I-"

"You play basketball?" Flynn interrupted. Aladdin nodded. "So do I. I was on the varsity team at my old school."

"You gonna try-out for the team here?"

Flynn nodded.

"Awesome! Hey, you wanna shoot hoops together some time?"

The bus pulled up to Flynn's stop and he stood up. "Sure."

"There's a park about a mile from here," Aladdin told him. "Me and a couple other guys go there every night around seven."

Flynn nodded and started walking down the aisle. When Flynn got off the bus, Belle was waiting for him but Rapunzel was already walking to her house. Flynn and Belle headed to their own house. When they walked inside they were instantly met by their mother.

"How was school?" Mrs. Rider asked.

"Fine," Flynn mumbled as he started up to his room.

Belle watched her brother climb the stairs and then looked back at her mother. Mrs. Rider continued to stare at the stairs, even after Flynn was out of sight.

"I like the school," Belle finally said.

Mrs. Rider turned her attention back to Belle and smiled at her. "I'm glad. Did you make any new friends?"

"I had lunch with a girl named Meg and her best friend, Adam." Belle thought it would be best to make it sound like Meg was her new friend so her mom didn't start asking if she had a crush on Adam.

"Good for you, sweetie." Mrs. Rider glanced back at the stairs. "You should probably get started on your homework. Dinner will be ready at six."

Belle walked up the stairs and set her backpack in her room before knocking on Flynn's door.

"School was fine, mom," Flynn replied from the other side of the door. There was no denying the annoyance in his voice.

"It's me," Belle said.

There was a beat of silence before Flynn said, "Come in."

Belle pushed open his door and stepped in. He still had a few unpacked boxes stacked in the corner of his room and the only thing that made the room look lived-in was the dirty clothes on the floor. Flynn was sitting on his bed, doing his homework. As Belle walked over to him, she noticed a basketball on the floor on the other side of the bed. Belle raised an eyebrow and smiled at Flynn.

"What?"

Belle shook her head. She leaned over the bed and picked up the basketball. "You weren't doing your homework a minute ago, were you?"

"I was thinking about going to the park after dinner." Flynn set his homework down next to him. "I was invited to shoot hoops with some guys."

Belle lied down on her back and started spinning the ball on her finger. "You should definitely go."

Flynn leaned over and snatched the ball from Belle. "I will."


	5. Chapter 5

After dinner Flynn left to play basketball and Belle went up to her room. She had finished her homework and wanted to work on oragnizing and decorating her room a little bit. After her dad had put the bookcase in her room she filled it with books and set a couple of framed pictures on top of it. She had a lot more pictures that she had been meaning to hang on the walls, but didn't have the time to do it until now.

It didn't take long for her to hang them all up and her room was now looking like her room back home. Belle picked up her last picture and smiled down at it. It was a picture of her and her family at Disney World. They went one year for spring break when Belle was ten and Flynn was eleven. In the picture they were standing in front of the castle in Magic Kingdom. Belle was smiling excitedly while Flynn had a blank expression. He hadn't wanted to go, saying it was for little kids. He was the kid telling everyone else that none of it was real and ruining the magic for everyone. Belle remembered at one point he told her Mickey Mouse was just a person in a costume and she had gotten so angry with him that she hit him with the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal her parents had just bought her. Belle couldn't help giggling at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Mrs. Rider asked, coming into the room.

Belle looked up and showed her mom the picture. "Just remembering when we went to Disney World."

Mrs. Rider smiled. "Flynn learned an important lesson that day; no one tries ruining the magic for Belle."

"That's right," Belle said, hanging up the picture.

"Speaking of Flynn; where is he?"

"He went to play basketball with his new friend."

Mrs. Rider sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him. Would it kill him to _at least_ let me know he's going out?"

"Mom, he's seventeen; he's not going to check in with you all the time. Ya know, this is really hard on him. You should just give him some space."

Mrs. Rider nodded. "I'm glad you two are close."

With that, she turned and walked out of the room. Belle glanced up at the picture of her family that she had just hung up. A riff was forming in her family and it made her sad. She went into her closet and knelt down in front of a box where she kept some things she had kept from her childhood. She knew she had the Mickey Mouse stuffed animal in it somehere. When she pulled the box closer to her she noticed a loose floorboard. She pushed the box aside and pulled up the floorboard. Underneath was a plain tin box. She picked it up and opened it. Inside was an old leather bound journal. Belle's curiousity got the best of her. She replaced the floorboard, then carried the tin box and journal over to her window seat. She sat down and carefully opened the journal. On the first page the name _Leslie _was written in a sloppy handwriting that looked like it belonged to a kid. When Belle lifted the journal out of the box, a piece of folded paper fell out of it. She reached down and picked it up off the floor. She set the journal down and unfolded the paper. It was a drawing of a castle in the middle of a forest surrounded by strange looking creatures. On the bottom right-hand corner was Jess Aarons' name; it, too, was written in a kid's handwriting.

Belle looked out her window. She could see Jess' house from her room. His pick-up truck was in the driveway and there was a light on in the house. She put the journal back in the box, then stuck it under her bed before going down stairs. Her dad had turned the gold room into a study and he was sitting at the desk, working on the computer. Belle knocked on the door frame and he looked up.

"Daddy, can I use the copier on your printer?" Belle asked him.

Mr. Rider nodded distractedly and went back to working. Belle made a quick copy of the drawing then walked out of the room. She put the copy of the drawing in the tin box and went to find her mom. Mrs. Rider was sitting in the living room reading a novel by her favorite author, Judy Burke. The author had died in a car accident a few years ago, so since there were no more new novels being published, Belle's mom was in the process of re-reading all of her older novels again.

"Mom, I'm going over to Rapunzel's; I won't be gone long."

"Okay, dear," her mom replied, not looking up from her book.

Belle clutched the drawing she had found as she made her way to Jess' house. Once there, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Jess answered the door a few seconds later.

"Oh. Hi, Belle," Jess greeted. "Rapunzel isn't here; she's out with Charlotte."

"I actually wanted to talk to _you_, Mr. Aarons."

Jess looked a little surprised. "What about?"

"Can I come in, Mr. Aarons?"

Jess hesitated, but then stepped back and let Belle in. "You can call me Jess."

Belle nodded and followed Jess into the kitchen. They sat down at the table and Belle slid the drawing over to him. Jess glanced down at it, then picked it up and unfolded it. Almost instantly a sad look crossed his face when he saw the drawing.

"Where did you get this?" Jess asked after a moment of silence.

"I found it in my bedroom and thought you might want it," Belle replied. "Who-"

Belle started to ask Jess who Leslie was, but he cut her off my standing up abruptly. To her surprise, he crumpled up the drawing and tossed it in the trash can.

"I think you should leave," Jess told her.

Belle slowly stood up. "O-okay."

Jess didn't say anything as he walked Belle out. Once she was outside, he slammed the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Belle sat on their front porch, working on her homework. It was Friday afternoon and Flynn was next door working on Jess' fence. Belle had thought about going over to keep him company, but Jess was home and she didn't think he'd want to see her after the night she went over to his house. She had no idea why he had gotten so upset about the drawing, but she decided it would be best to give him some space.

Flynn was currently bent over his work table, measuring a piece of wood. He had his shirt off and was starting to get a slight tan. Belle envied him. She had fair skin and couldn't tan if she wanted to. She burned easy enough, though, and usually had to stay in the shade. Jess came outside and walked over to Flynn. Belle watched the two of them talk. Jess had a blank expression on his face, like usual, as Flynn explained something and pointed at the wood he had been measuring. Jess nodded and turned to go back inside. He glanced over at the Rider's house and made eye contact with Belle. Embarrassed from getting caught staring, Belle blushed. She gave him a small wave, which he returned before going inside.

Belle turned attention back to her homework. The classes at Lark Creek High were surprisingly easy compared to the classes she had taken at her old school. She finished her homework quickly. As she was putting everything back in her book bag, she heard the phone ring inside. Belle picked up her bag and went inside. Mrs. Rider was just coming out of the kitchen. She had the cordless phone pressed against her shoulder.

"Belle, it's for you," Mrs. Rider said, holding out the phone.

Belle took the phone, but waited until she was in her room before answering it. "Hello?"

Meg's unmistakeable voice came through the other line. "Hey, Belle."

"Hi, Meg. What's up?"

"Gaston Hoager is having a party tonight; you wanna go?"

"Oh, um, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Friday night is family night," Belle explained. "Thanks for the invite though."

Meg's voice muffled as she said something to someone else on the other line. She came back on the line. "That's super lame, Belle."

"I'm sorry," Belle said, though she didn't mean it. She would much rather be home with her family then go to a party.

"All right. Well, I guess we'll see you on Monday then."

"Yup. See you then."

"See ya, bookworm."

Before Belle could say anything else, Meg hung up. Belle brought the phone back down to her mom.

"Belle, can you let Flynn know that dinner will be ready in half an hour?" Mrs. Rider asked.

"Sure, mom."

"Thanks, sweetie."

Belle headed outside and made her way towards Jess' house. Flynn was now nailing the piece of wood he had been measuring to the post. He looked up as Belle approached.

"Mom said dinner's gonna be ready in a half an hour," Belle told him.

"All right." Flynn wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. "I'll be home in a little bit."

Belle nodded and walked back to the house. Flynn finished hammering in the nail, then stood up. As he went back to his work table, Rapunzel came outside. She was carrying two glasses of lemonade.

"Thirsty?" Rapunzel asked, holding up the glasses.

"Yeah." Flynn walked over to her porch.

Rapunzel handed him a glass and they sat down on the steps. Tera had been sleeping in the corner of the porch, but now came over to lie next to Rapunzel. Rapunzel pet her head as she took a sip of her lemonade. Flynn had been working on the fence for the last two hours and was hot. He downed half the glass of lemonade in one gulp.

"Has Lark Creek grown on you, yet?" Rapunzel asked him.

Flynn shook his head. "I don't think it ever will. This place sucks." Rapunzel frowned at him. "No offense," he added.

"You know what your problem is, Flynn Rider?"

"What?"

"You're too close-minded. This is a new place, full of new possibilities, but you keep holdin' onto the past instead of movin' forward. You don't want to break away from what you know, so you're missing out on everything else." Flynn noticed when Rapunzel talked quickly she had a bit of a southern drawl.

"Oh yeah?" he asked before taking another gulp of lemonade.

Rapunzel nodded and slowly stirred her lemonade with her straw. "I understand that you were taken away from your friends and startin' new somewhere else is hard, but you have to be open to it."

"I don't think you understand anything about what I'm going through, blondie."

Rapunzel narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you have to be so cynical all the time?"

"I don't want to be here."

"Yes, you've made that very clear. But you _are _here and moping around isn't going to change that. You may as well just accept it."

Rapunzel was starting to get frustrated and her cheeks turned pink. Flynn didn't know why, but he thought it was cute. Actually, he thought Rapunzel was cute. He was used to Belle putting him in his place, but no one else ever called him out on anything. He was impressed with Rapunzel.

"Maybe you'd like to show me around town sometime; show me all of those possibilities you were talking about."

Rapunzel's green eyes grew wide. "Flynn Rider, are you askin' me out on a date?"

Flynn shook his head as he sipped up the last bit of his lemonade through the straw. "No. I'm giving you a chance to prove your point."

Rapunzel tilted her head the side, causing a strand of hair to fall in her face. She ignored it. "I see. And what would you like to do?"

Flynn reached over and brushed the strand off her face. Her hair was soft and her skin was smooth. A couple of freckles were sprinkled over the bridge of her nose and he found himself wanting to run his fingers over them.

Flynn recomposed himself and dropped his hand. He then shrugged as he stood up. "It's your call, blondie. Open my mind."


	7. Chapter 7

"It's kind of strange, don't you think?" Belle asked after she finished telling Flynn how Jess reacted to the drawing.

It was now Sunday night, almost a week after she had brought the drawing over to Jess. She had debated whether or not to tell Flynn, knowing it was possible he wouldn't care. But, she had been thinking about it a lot and wanted to talk to somebody about it.

"Why are you telling me this?" Flynn asked.

Belle leaned back on Flynn's bed and rest her back against the wall. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to talk to somebody about it."

"Why don't you talk to Rapunzel?"

Belle shook her head. "Rapunzel is his daughter; she might think it's weird that I'm so curious about something like this and tell her dad that I was asking about it."

Flynn was sitting at his desk doing all of his homework at the last minute, but now he turned to look at his sister. "It _is _weird, Belle."

"I can't help being curious. There's a story here; I know it."

Flynn rolled his eyes, then turned away from her to continue working on his homework. "We're not living inside a book."

"I know that. But everyone's life tells a story and I think Jess Aarons' might be an interesting one."

"And how exactly are you going to find that out?" Flynn asked. "Clearly he's not going to tell you anything."

Belle frowned. "I don't know. Maybe I can start by finding out who Leslie is. When Jess saw the picture, it made him sad; maybe something happened."

"How are you going to find out?"

"The library," Belle said, as if it were obvious. "It'll have all the local newspapers."

Flynn turned to look at her again. "Why do you care about this so much?"

"I'm just curious." Belle picked up Leslie's journal from where it was lying on the bed in front of her. "I haven't gotten far into this, yet. But, I read that when Leslie moved here she was new at school, too, and didn't make friends easily. I guess I can relate to her."

Flynn sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Will finding out what happened to Leslie satisfy you?"

"Yes."

Flynn tilted his head and eyed her. They both knew that wasn't true, but he also knew there was no point in trying to change Belle's mind.

_'You win.'_ Flynn signed. Then he said, "I'll help you find out Jess' story."

Belle smiled at her brother. "Thank you. I'll go to the library tomorrow and see what I can find out."

_X~~~X~~~X_

After school on Monday, Belle walked to the library. A young girl about Belle's age was busy putting books away. Belle walked up to her.

"Excuse me? Can you help me find something?" Belle asked her.

The girl smiled at her. "Of course."

"I'm looking for newspapers."

The girl nodded. "They're over here. You're Belle, right? The new girl?"

Belle nodded, a little confused as to how the girl knew who she was when she was sure she had never met this girl before.

"I'm Jane Porter. I don't think we've met but I've heard of you and your brother, Flynn. This is a small town; everyone knows everyone."

"It's nice to meet you."

Belle followed Jane to the back of the library, passed the reference section. On the back shelves were stacks of larger books that looked like old scrap books.

"Is there a specific event you're looking for?" she asked Belle.

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to find out about a girl named Leslie."

Jane paused and glanced at Belle. "Leslie Burke?"

"I don't know her last name."

Jane nodded and ran her fingers over the books' bindings until she found what she was looking for. She pulled the book off the shelf. "You must mean her. There's only one local story about a girl named Leslie." She handed the book to Belle. "And it's a sad story."

Belle ran her hand over the cover of the book; it dusty and the date on it was from thirty-five years ago. She looked back up at Jane. "You know about her?"

"Everyone around here does. Most of our parents have lived here all their lives and went to school with her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Not much happens in this town, so a story like this gets told often. Mostly to children as a cautionary tale."

Belle raised an eyebrow. "Cautionary?"

Jane reached over and opened the book. She flipped through pages and pages of old newspaper articles and didn't stop until she found what she was looking for. "Read the article." She tapped on the article on the page she stopped at.

Belle glanced down at the headline:

_**TEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL DROWNS**_

Belle looked up at Jane with wide eyes. A sad look was now on Jane's face as she, too, read the headline.

"Like I said; it's a sad story."

After Jane left, Belle walked over to one of the tables and sat down. She took a deep breath and began reading the short article.

_Ten-year-old Leslie Burke died yesterday after falling into a creek. First responders say it appears she had been trying to cross over the creek on a rickety rope when it broke and she fell. She was alone and hit her head-_

Belle stopped reading and looked away from the article. It was sad and horrifying to think about the little girl dying all alone. Belle wanted to read more, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. When she came here looking for some information, this is not at all what she expected. She stared at the picture of Leslie until her eyes blurred. She closed the book, then put it back on the shelf.

As Belle walked out of the library she remembered Jess' drawing inside Leslie's journal. She stopped in her tracks. No wonder he was so sad to see the drawing; he must have been friends with Leslie when she died.


End file.
